Friday, March 14, 2014

Host Families in Japan: Advantages and Daily Life

For today's post, I thought it might be a good idea to discuss what is one of the most important aspects one has to consider when planning a study abroad trip - host families. There are people with a lot of trepidation about living with a host family while studying in a foreign country. Will I be able to communicate with my family? What if they're too strict and don't allow me enough freedom? What if our cultural differences leads to arguments?

All of these are valid concerns, but what you have to consider when weighing the options of living with a host family is this - what is your purpose for studying abroad? If you're considering studying abroad, I'm inclined to believe you have an interest in foreign culture or language. There's some aspect that drew you to the country, and as my professor, Martin Holman, loves to say, the best way to learn a foreign language is to live with a foreign family. (Below is the second host family I stayed with, the Nashidas. To my right is my host mother and my host father on the left with two of their grandchildren in front. To his left is my good friend John, who also lived with the Nashidas during our program.)


Naturally, there is probably going to be a bit of a language barrier if you're studying in a foreign country, especially if you are choosing a country
with a complex language, like Japanese. But that is part of the experience. Living with native speakers of the language is the best tool for true competency in a language. If you choose to live in a dormitory, more often than not, you will be living primarily with other foreign students and in those situations, students have a tendency to group with people whom they share a common tongue. While not intentional, one of the drawbacks of dormitory-style living is the clear lack of involvement with native speakers.

More often than not, host families are happy to help you overcome language difficulties and constantly being around the language helps not only vocabulary, but fluidity. Spending time with natural speakers will help one adapt a natural smoothness in speaking, which for some languages where inflection can completely alter the meaning of some words, fluidity is as important as grammatical and vocabulary knowledge.

Not only are host families a source for a wealth of knowledge language-wise, but in my experience, families have been excellent cultural resources as well. Living with a host family allows a student to see in person small cultural variations that may differ from their own. These include aspects such as eating and table etiquette, differences in family hierarchy, and how families spend their free time. All are invaluable in having an appreciation for a foreign culture.

And lets not forget one of the best parts of living with a host family - the food. During the time I spent with a host family in Japan, my families would typically provide two meals a day, breakfast and dinner. If you happened to be home around lunchtime, that would usually be provided too, but this is rare if one is taking classes or involved in a program like mine.

I had the opportunity to live with three different sets of host families in the time I spent in Japan, each one unique, but there were also some overarching similarities. Breakfast being one of them. In each of the three homes, mornings were usually so limited on time, not a lot of emphasis was put on breakfast. Even on days off when time would have allowed for a big meal. Coming from a home where breakfasts included pancakes, french toast, waffles, bacon, biscuits and gravy and the like (not all on the same day, but just a variety), not having those options was a big difference. Don't get me wrong, you never went hungry in a Japanese home, my families were more than generous with their food, but breakfast was usually a smaller affair.

With a little variation, breakfast included a bowl of rice, miso soup, some different types of fruits, occasionally scrambled eggs or sausage, and some type of bread that ranged from donut-like creme-filled pastries to yakisoba bread to croissants. A far departure from the hearty meals I was used to, but I can say I was completely satisfied with the Japanese take on breakfast. Aside from the obvious health benefits, each item gave you good energy to get through the day without overloading like one can on American fare. (Below is some festival yakisoba. Photo courtesy of Kelly Washatka).


Dinners were always the best, usually most-filling meal of the day. All of my host families were very good cooks, especially with Japanese cuisine like tempura, takoyaki or okonomiyaki, all of which were cooked for me at one point or another. And because I lived with my first host family primarily during the summer, barbecues and outdoor cooking was a common occurrence. The family I would live with in the latter part of the summer in particular loved to hold weekly barbecues with family and friends from around the city. (Top: Homemade takoyaki. Photo courtesy of Kelly Washatka. Bottom: Shrimp and cheese okonimyaki. Toppings and ingredients are usually optional and it is common that the customer will cook their own okonomiyaki. Photo courtesy of Marcel Montes).




It is also not uncommon for host families to take their host students on family vacations or short trips. My first host family worked a very busy schedule as tax accountants and with their son, Yoshiki, involved in clubs and school, trips weren't always an option. This didn't bother me as I couldn't be more grateful for what they had already provided me. However, my second host family, the Nashidas, had more time during which we were able to go on small trips around the area, either to small, Edo period villages that dotted Nagano prefecture or on mountain-climbing trips (more on this in a later post) or even simply to an onsen, a very interesting experience in and of itself. (Top: My host father, Nashida-san, with two other students, John and Stephen, as we prepare to go mountain-climbing. Bottom: A small, Edo period post town Nashida-san took us to visit).



In case this post isn't evidence enough, I'm very pro-host family for study abroad students. It's an experience unlike any other you may have in your life. For me, it is definitely one I will never forget. I'll end my post this week with this; it is my resolute belief that true linguistic and cultural understanding can only be achieved if one is willing to undertake complete cultural immersion. That means living with a host family instead of a dorm, joining a school club rather than succumbing, as many foreign students do, to the safety-net that is the Internet. If you're willing to make the financial investment in a study abroad trip (believe me, they are an investment), you have to be willing to make that leap out of your comfort zone, and experience for yourself what real life is like in the country you're visiting.

Useful phrases in this week's post:

yakisoba - やきそば - 焼きそば

Meaning: A Japanese dish of fried buckwheat noodles usually with vegetables and meat
tempura - てんぷら - 天ぷら

Meaning: A Japanese dish of fish or vegetables deep fried in a light batter

takoyaki - たこやき - たこ焼き

Meaning: (lit.) Octopus dumplings. A Japanese dish consisting of bits of octopus deep fried with vegetables or other ingredients in a batter. たこ = octopus

okonomiyaki - おこのみやき - お好み焼き

Meaning: a Japanese dish similar to a pancake or pizza containing meat or seafood and vegetables fried in a batter

onsen - おんせん - 温泉

Meaning: hot spring, spa

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